Running
by Riny Beoulve
Summary: For some time pirate, you and I were running together... Ashe/Balthier Post-game with spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

_For some time pirate, you and I were running together. I was running to the future, and I gave little thought why you ran with me. All that mattered was that I was running to Dalmasca's future._

_Then later I learned that you were running from your past. I led you, provided you with somewhere to run… And I led you straight to what you were running from… and for the first time I stopped running for a moment to listen. When I listened, I learned your past and learned what you were running from. Taking that time to stop running was perhaps one of the most important things I have ever done._

_I learned of the life of Ffamran Bunasa, son of Dr. Cidolfus Bunasa. I learned how he was a Judge who saw his father go mad. I understand why he ran, why you took to the skies. But I still had no idea why you ran with me into the Lion's Den over and over._

_And as we climbed the Pharos, I had plenty of time to mull over my options. And I realized that I had been running from my past too. When Archadia took over Dalmasca, Vossler fetched me, and we ran. It seemed like the only option at the time, and perhaps it was. I took another name and hid, justifying my running and hiding over the course of two years… though I did not know then how long our plan would take to come to fruitation._

_And when it finally hit me, I could do nothing but lower my guard and stare at you in amazement. You turned around upon my falling behind, but then focused your attention on firing your gun at a monster behind me. Everything moved in slow motion as Reddas and Vaan passed me. I could only watch in fascination as you reloaded your gun to fire again, and I could only see you in a new light. _

_Maybe you had no choice but to run. Perhaps there were no options. You did what you felt was your only option. And, like myself, you upheld your own beliefs and self no matter where or what… And you held true._

_And then I finally realized pirate, that you and I are much the same. Even though we ran from our past, we still had to face it and run to the future._

_When it came down to it, you even ran in to save our lives and the lives of my people. And still, you held true._

_Though I never truly understood all your motives for following me and running with me, I am more than grateful that you did. How far would I have gotten without you? You were not in my initial plan, but now I cannot imagine doing this all without you._

_It is unfortunate that now we are no longer running together. I had to stop, but you continue to run. I prayed for your safety, and this is ring is proof. For that, I am grateful, though it may interfere with the tale of your nobility._

_The tale of the sky pirate and Dalmasca's last princess is already being told to the youth of Rabanastre as a faerie tale. Of course, now there is a tale mixed in that she fancied him and missed him dearly after he left. I dare say that it is not far from silent truths…_

_But that aside, I am so grateful for your safety and hope one day you will run into me once more…_

"Is someone there?" Ashe asked, looking up from the journal. She placed the quill pen back into the ink well and rose from the chair. She looked around the balcony quickly. A soft sigh emitted from her lips and her hopes fell upon the realization that Balthier was in fact, nowhere near the capital. The princess cast one more long look at the Bahamut before returning to the table. Her manicured hands softly closed the journal. Another smiled cross her face as she picked up the ring and returned inside her castle.

After several minutes, he removed himself from the shadows and brought himself to her journal. His trademarked smirk crossed his face as he read through the last entry. Within only a second, the quill was in his hand.


	2. Response

Part of him knew he really shouldn't. Really, honestly, truly. There was some part of him that pointed out this was a bad idea and he should just leave things be, but hell, when was the last time that had stopped him? Well, never really. But it still surprised him a bit when he hesitated for that moment.

For several minutes he scribbled words on a page of her journal. Some words came easily, others were more difficult for him to find and seek, but regardless, he wrote.

In the middle of the paragraph he was currently working on, Balthier suddenly shook his head as he ripped the paper out and crumpled it up in his left hand. There was no real explaination why he could not find the right words, after all, he had never had that problem before. So instead he decided to do what he had done to Penelo and Fran several times before. He quickly scratched on rather sloppy line at the bottom of Ashe's last entry and took off, dropping the balled up piece of paper on the balcony.

Several hours later, Ashe returned to the balcony for her ritual journal entry on the day's events. She had started to write the entries here with the Bahamut in view. It was a comfort and a reminder, though now she was not about to break the ritual. She settled herself down and flipped open to her journal. It was then she saw the addition to her last journal entry and nearly died.

"_And of course, I love Balthier so much and sky pirates are the sexiest things ever._"

"That's the best you could come up with?" She asked the shadows, hoping he might answer. "You did much better for Penelo's; I'm a bit disappointed…" But as she looked about the balcony, there was no tall, handsome sky pirate hero. Instead, there was only a piece of crumpled paper identical to the paper from her journal wedged between to posts of the balcony, threatening to fall below at any moment. Gently she picked it up and smoothed it out, and could only smile as she read.

_Yes, princess, you and I ran together for quite some time, and at the beginning, I wanted nothing more then to leave you to your own accord. Then, of course, your faithful captain came to me, though I knew not then what the rescue mission would entail. Just another rescue mission, I had assured myself and Fran. No more politics since I ran from my past._

_And in my fleeing, I ran right into you._

_Fran saw it for a very long time coming, I'm sure._

_I let it go when you insulted me since I was "playing pirate" as Fran would say. I took pride in being known as a pirate. It validated that Ffamran had been left in Archades with the Judge armor. Of course, I now realize that I had only run from my past, not left it behind._

_I had an epiphany much the same as yours, I believe. While I awaited your arrival in Archades, I took a moment to walk by the Bunasa House estate, generally only now occupied by the maintainers hired. There was a moment as I glanced upon my mother's old gardesn that I realized Ffamran was still well with me. His mannerisms… his dress, his way of battle. My actions and beliefs were unfitting of a sky pirate, though I am sure that is also why Fran accompanied me for so long. But I digress. So I held your ring and realized that you and I were running in circles, trying to decide what to hold onto and what to cut. And my mind wandered through my options. If I were to stop running, then I could either return to the Judge armor or continue running with you into what I had feared._

_Yes, all that running, and I had gotten nowhere. But even that is not an entirely true statement. I suppose I got to a place and time where I could face what I had run from._

_Yes, it seems I had only one choice, or at least that's what it looked like. Perhaps there were other options, but I have no regrets. Would be quite unfitting for the leading man after all._

_But I must comment on this tale the children now seem to be fond of. It is only natural for children to idolize their hero, of course. And I must inquire about this love between the pirate and princess and its origins._

Upon the awkward ending, Ashe moved to her journal and picked up the quill once more. Elegantly she wrote only one sentence before resting the quill across the open book and returning inside.

"_Please Balthier, do go on; I may not be running with you any longer, but here I stay and continue to listen…_"


End file.
